Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Curious George Goes to the Hospital by Margaret & H.A. Rey

This month we’ll see the publication of Lisa Brown’s wonderful picture book The Hospital Book, which may be the best going-to-the-hospital title for kids I have ever seen. Because usually, you have to admit, when people walk into your children’s library in search of picture books about going to the hospital, what they get is a title from 1966. We’ve already covered the problematic George in Curious George and Curious George Takes a Job. This is the seventh and last book that was created by George’s original creators. Today we’re talking barium, sad little Betsys, and why this book is giving me flashbacks to the beginning of the movie Nope. Having fun at the hospital without sniffing ether. What a notion!

Listen to the whole show here on Soundcloud or download it through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, PlayerFM, or your preferred method of podcast selection.

Show Notes:

Here is Lisa Brown’s book, which is well worth your time:

The title I refer to in the intro is The Journey that Saved Curious George by Louise Borden, illustrated by Allan Drummond.

Look, George! It’s the moment I kidnapped you unwillingly from your home, preserved forever as a puzzle. “So you can take that moment apart and put it back together. Again. And again. And again.” George should have eaten a couple more pieces.

On taking George to a doctor rather than a vet. “This is where we truly begin to understand that the Man has a very weird sense of what George is and who George is.”

As someone who takes her children to take their booster shots and flu shots on a regular basis, this is NOT how you do it. This image of the adults laughing while George screams? Bet you anything that this is the image many a child has taken from this book.

There’s only one doctor in the room putting on gloves AND IT’S NOT EVEN THE DOCTOR DOING THE SURGERY!

How dare Kate call this book dated. How dare she.

I want to know what genius architect designed a hospital ramp at this extreme an angle. A 45 degree ramp in a hospital? This was just an accident waiting to happen anyway.

Minus five points for the mayor for not (A) wearing a sash and (B) not pointing out that they’re treating apes in hospitals.

This advice is at the back of the 50th anniversary edition came out in 1994. That part about bringing DVDs? Now that’s outdated too. Yeah. I think it may be time to retire old George here.

We mark the passing of Amy Schwartz. Recently we did her Bea and Mr. Jones, a book that stands the test of time.

We are referring at the end to this video, by the way. The greatest St. Patrick’s Day video of all time. And for the record, I do a spot on Beaker:

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